World's Largest Spice Company To Go Organic & Non-GMO By 2016

Signaling yet another victory for the clean food movement, the largest spice company in the world has announced it will be almost entirely organic and non-GMO by the year 2016.

Because of the organic and non-GMO food boom, other companies such as Simply Organic have been able to grow thanks to the support of customers looking for cleaner options.

The McCormick spice company has maintained its spot as the world’s largest, however, and is now making a move that comes as a surprise to many in order to keep other companies from stealing its market share.

McCormick to Officially Go Organic, GMO-Free Soon

According to this article from the website Food Dive, the compay has announced that a huge majority of its spices and herbs will be organic and non-GMO by the year 2016.

In total, about 80% of its products will meet the new standard. New labels will also adorn the familiar McCormick packages, with over 70% expected to sport new “non-GMO” labels according to the article.

As noted by Food Dive, many of the company’s herbs and spices are already non-GMO, but the increased transparency is expected to be a selling point for many consumers as it has been for products that have become Non-GMO Project Verified.

Also announced by McCormick, a new non-GMO vanilla extract will be introduced along with numerous other organic spices and flavorings to compete with its rivals for the growing organic dollar in the United States (and elsewhere).

“The announcement comes ahead of the peak fall cooking and holiday season where consumer usage of herbs, spices & extracts as key ingredients in recipe favorites increase,” according to the news release.

McCormick a Healthier Option?

Believe it or not, numerous companies use irradiation in order to make spices “more safe” for the consumer.

If you’re buying from any old spice company there’s a high risk that you could be getting irradiated spices.

Luckily for people who wish to avoid irradiated spices there are options. Simply Organic, Frontier and other organic brands are good bets according to a report from FoodBabe.com, and McCormick, while not organic just yet, is another company that does not use irradiation.

According to this article from Food Safety News, McCormick opts instead for steam treatments, preserving more of the health benefits of their spices (although some say it harms the taste more than radiation treatments).

While the McCormick spice company isn’t perfect, it is admirable that they are taking these steps, making them a potentially better buy than other similar brands in a pinch if you can’t get to the health food store.